Is 'Cairo toe' the most prehistoric prosthetic?

Egyptologists are calling for volunteers to help test a replica of the toe, dated from 1069-664BC

By Stephen Adams

12:01AM BST 28 Jul 2007

Academics are calling for volunteers to join tests to see whether they have found the world's oldest prosthetic body part.

Researchers intend to make a replica of the "Cairo toe", a bending leather and wood attachment that they believe could be the world's earliest practical prosthetic.

They are seeking volunteers, who are missing big toes on their right feet, to test their theory that the fake toe helped its original user to walk.

If proved correct, it would mean prosthetic medicine started at least 700 years earlier than previously thought.

Jacky Finch, the lead researcher on the project at Manchester University's KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, said the fact that the toe showed signs of wear indicated it was a practical limb.

It was found strapped to the mummified foot of a 50- to 60-year-old woman who had undergone a toe amputation which had healed.

Miss Finch said: "The toe dates from between 1069BC and 664BC, so if we can prove it was functional then we will have pushed back prosthetic medicine by as much as 700 years." Previously, the earliest practical prosthesis was a leg made of bronze which dated from 300BC.

The Roman Capua Leg was held at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, but was destroyed by bombs during the Second World War.

Biomechanics experts at Salford University are also testing a model of a fake big toe, fashioned from a type of papier-mâché known as cartonnage. It also shows signs of wear. However, the fact that it was not designed to bend would have made walking difficult.

Miss Finch said: "The Cairo toe is the most likely of the two to be functional as it is articulated and shows signs of wear."

The "Greville Chester Great Toe", named after the collector who acquired it for the British Museum in 1881, will be tested at the Human Performance Laboratory at Salford University. It is possibly even older than the Cairo toe, dating from between 1295BC and 664BC.

"If either one is functional it may be interesting to manufacture it with modern materials and trial it for use on people with missing toes," said Miss Finch.